The Fourth Floor
by a rainy day smile
Summary: The Weasleys have developed a candy that transports the consumer and the first person they touch into a locked room. To get out of the room, they must snog for ten minutes. Harry unknowingly eats one and is forced to snog Draco Malfoy. But what if...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters or situations, as we all know. I do love them, though :-D

**Author's Notes:** Credit for the original idea goes to D.J. Malfoy. Thanks for letting me use your plot bunny!

* * *

The Forth Floor

Chapter One

Harry was searching his dormitory, looking for something that would hold him over until dinner. He had just finished tearing apart his trunk when he thought he spied something under Ron's bed. Stooping, he pulled out a bright purple box; inside were large candies, colorfully wrapped in pink paper.

_Ron won't mind if I help myself to a few,_ Harry thought as he stuck some in his pocket. _After all, he's always taking my Chocolate Frogs._

_---_

Harry popped one of the pilfered candies into his mouth after changing into his Quidditch robes. The rest of the members of the team were ready and waiting for Katie Bell's instructions. As he sat down on the bench next to Ron, he savored the candy's sweetly unique taste.

At first, the candy had been too tart for Harry's liking. But then it softened up and a fruity flavor pervaded, tickling his taste buds. He let out a small smile as he swallowed, thoroughly enjoying himself.

"Alright everyone, we're gonna be working on our defense today. Ron, the other Chasers and I are going to take turns trying to score. While two of us pass the Quaffle, the other person will work with you to try and stop the oncoming players.

"The Beaters will join us later in the game, once we've got the basics down. They'll work with both the offense and the defense, one on either side. It'll make it trickier to defend and hopefully help us in our next game."

"What should I do?" Harry asked.

"Well, Seekers don't do much in the way of offense or defense. Why don't you work on catching the Snitch amidst all this? I know it's not much, but practice helps even the best of players."

Harry nodded, too happy to try and argue.

---

Ron and Harry talked animatedly while they changed. Ron had performed better than Katie had expected, saving about seventy percent of the attempted goals. They were in good shape for their game against Ravenclaw next weekend.

They were walking to the Great Hall for dinner when a sneering, blonde Slytherin approached them. Two bodyguard-like students flanked him, cracking their knuckles menacingly.

"Potter, I want a word with you," the blonde boy said.

"What do you want now, Malfoy?" he responded.

"I need to talk to you about the debacle that was Potions class yesterday."

Draco was referring to the incident that involved Harry accidentally dying Draco's hair bright green. He had then punched Harry, breaking his nose and earning them both a detention from Snape.

"It was an accident, I swear."

"Yeah, I'm sure it was."

"Fuck this," Ron said impatiently. "Let's go eat."

"Nah, you go ahead. I'll meet you there in a bit."

Ron looked curiously at Harry, reluctant to leave his best friend in the company of the thugs before him. Draco, however, jerked his head in the direction of the Great Hall, a silent order for Crabbe and Goyle to leave him alone with Harry.

They watched their friends head off to dinner.

"I'm not serving that detention. I don't care how you explain it to Snape but it was entirely your fault so I don't see why I have to go as well," Draco said.

"Oh right, I punched _myself_ in the face," Harry said sarcastically.

"Look, Potter, Slytherins don't **get** detentions from Snape," he said, taking a step closer, "so someone obviously did something to him. I think it was you."

"I didn't do a goddamn thing to him. Maybe _you_ pissed him off one too many times," he suggested angrily. "Now get out of my way, I'm hungry."

Draco didn't move. They were staring at one another, each willing the other to back down. Harry finally cracked and violently shoved Draco away. He fell backwards from the force of the push, taking Harry down in the process. They quickly untangled themselves, stood up and prepared for another attack of some kind.

After a few moments of tense silence, Harry cautiously looked around, keeping one eye on the Slytherin. He took in the empty desks, dusty surfaces and, most importantly, the closed door.

_What the hell is going on here?_ he thought. Draco, it seemed, was thinking the same thing. He walked over to the door and tried to yank it open; it didn't move. He tried casting _Alohomora_ at the lock but nothing happened.

"Great! Leave it to you to get us stuck in an abandoned classroom," he said, spinning around.

"Why is everything MY fault?!" Harry shouted back, not expecting an answer.

Draco was indeed too busy to answer. He was scoping out the room. There were only three windows in the outside wall and only one door. It couldn't even really be considered a classroom; it was hardly big enough for fifteen students, and classes at Hogwarts had a lot more than that.

Spying a bookshelf against one wall, he read the spines and pulled down a book, settled on the floor and pried open the tomb.

"Now is NOT the time to read! We should try to find a way out of here," said Harry angrily.

"I tried. It's your turn," he replied without looking up.

Frustrated, Harry rolled his eyes at the ceiling. He looked helplessly around the room, hoping for something that could help him out. It was then he saw the note on the teacher's desk. He ran over and grabbed it, quickly scanning it.

The flurry of robes and accompanying breeze distracted Draco from his reading. He watched as the other boy's face became as white as snow and as he dropped the note and backed up into the opposite wall.

Curious, he retrieved the note and read it himself:

_To our unsuspecting Victim,_

_We realize there is no warning on our product but that's your problem now, not ours. We're assuming that at this moment you're locked in a dorm or abandoned classroom with another person. Stop trying to get out; there's only one way to do so. _

_You must snog the other person in the room for TEN minutes. If you haven't noticed yet, there is a timer in the room. Once you start snogging, the timer will start. But you must snog for ten minutes WITHOUT STOPPING. If you stop, the timer resets itself._

_We hope you have a wonderful day!_

The note was unsigned. Draco still didn't understand Harry's reaction; clearly the letter was a joke. The Boy Who Lived had sunk to the floor and was muttering under his breath. Fortunately, Draco Malfoy's aristocratic upbringing got the better of him.

"Only idiots would use pink ink with purple paper. _Everyone_ knows you should use gold ink with purple paper," he said, tossing the note aside and returning to his book.

Something inside Harry's head lit up. _Purple paper with pink ink…_ he thought, wondering why the color combination sounded familiar. He shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out one of the candies he had taken from Ron; it was pink. Thinking back, he remembered the box had been purple. He inspected the wrapper, looking for anything that would help. On one of the corners was a small, purple symbol: W.W.W.

"Damn it!" he said out loud. "I'm gonna kill them!"

"Who now, Potter?" Draco asked halfheartedly.

"Fred and George Weasley. They're the ones behind this. They started a joke shop and I guess they make candies that land people in this...particular situation."

Harry could see the wheels turning in the Slytherin's head. Slowly, the boy flushed and anger boiled over the edge.

"You mean to tell me," he said in a dangerously quiet voice, "that we're **actually **stuck in here until…until...we…"

Harry nodded. Draco looked like he was going to be sick.

"If you think I'm going to kiss you, you're more of a dumbass than I gave you credit for," he managed to choke out.

"I don't want to kiss you either!" Harry exclaimed. "I'd much rather kiss a Blast-Ended Skrewt, thank you very much."

The two boys lapsed into silence, a silence that seemed unending…

---

A loud, rumbling growl broke the thick blanket of silence that had developed in what had to have been at least three hours. Draco looked over at Harry, who was clutching his stomach in an effort to keep it quiet. He merely shook his head and continued reading.

"Malfoy, we really need to think of some other way to get out of here. I'm starving."

"Just summon some food; you **can** do that, can't you?" he said derisively, a smirk setting up camp on his face.

Glaring, Harry grabbed his wand and said "_Accio_ food!"

Nothing happened. The other boy laughed.

"Yeah, let's see you do better!" Harry shouted. He jumped at the challenge.

"_Accio_ pizza!"

Again, nothing happened. They stared at each other worriedly. Harry let his head fall back against the wall, making a soft _thump_. Draco, on the other hand, was not taking this lack of food so well.

"What the hell are we supposed to do without FOOD?!" he exclaimed.

"Don't worry. After a while, you won't be hungry anymore," said Harry dully.

"How do you know that?!"

Immediately after he asked, Draco realized that it could be a rather personal question. That thought was closely followed by the fact that Malfoys don't trifle with issues like getting too personal. The Boy Who Lived considered him a moment before answering.

"Let's just say my aunt and uncle don't like me very much."

Draco was shocked and, more importantly, _speechless_. He knew the Famous Harry Potter had to live with Muggles every summer but he assumed they worshipped the ground he walked on like everyone else did. He felt a strange sense of pity for the Gryffindor.

"I know, surprise surprise. Not everyone likes me, you know," Harry said confidentially. "I'm actually not sure who hates me more: Snape or my uncle Vernon."

Silence. Harry got up and haphazardly chose a book from the shelf. He sat down again and pried open the covers.

"My…my father……." Draco began, uncertain whether he should be telling his arch enemy this or not, "doesn't exactly like me either. He always tells Mother he wishes they could have had a stronger, more determined heir."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I support my father and his….._political position_, but I don't want to participate in it. He considers that an act of treason."

"Sometimes I wish I grew up in a normal, Wizarding family; you know, where I'd be a regular kid, not all this 'Chosen One' bullshit. It's not all it's cracked up to be. I'm always wondering whose name is going to be on the obituary page of the paper in the morning or when the next attack is going to come. A mere teenager should **not** have to deal with that every day."

From across the room, Draco stared at Harry as if seeing him for the first time. _He's normal. He isn't some great big prat; he's just a kid, like me. He has so much more to deal with and I've spent six years doing all I could to make his life worse_, he thought morosely. _He wouldn't have been so mean to me if our positions were switched._

The pair lapsed into silence once more, but it was a softer silence, one where they could freely re-evaluate each other. They had no idea how much time had passed and Harry vaguely wondered when Ron and Hermione would notice his absence.

_They're probably snogging in a broom closet somewhere, completely oblivious to everything else_, he thought. _Well, I guess that'd be good; it's about time they stopped dancing around each other. Or MAYBE that's why Ron got the candies! He probably found out what they do and could've hoped to bump into Hermione and be able to play it off as an acci_ —

"I'm sorry."

Harry snapped out of his thoughts. "What did you say?"

"I…….I apologized," Draco said softly.

"For what?" Harry asked, stunned.

"For making your life as hard and unpleasant as I could, for hurting you or your friends any chance I got," he ranted, looking everywhere but at Harry. "I really misjudged you."

Shame colored Draco's cheeks before he curled his knees to his chest, put his head down, and sobbed in a very undignified manner.

Before Harry could think twice, instinct took over. He got up and walked to the opposite wall, sat down beside Draco and tentatively wrapped his arms around him. Draco let himself lean into Harry's embrace, taking comfort in the soothing sounds he was now making.

After a few minutes, reality set in and the boys separated themselves rather awkwardly. Harry did not, however, move back to the other side of the room. He felt like he was really seeing Draco for the first time and he wanted to get to know him better, despite the voice in his head telling him it was a bad idea.

"So…" he said, searching for a way to start a conversation. Draco refused to look at him. It seemed he was rather embarrassed by his outburst and even more so that Harry had witnessed it.

"So…" he said, trying again, "you don't get along with your father?"

Draco visibly tensed. He was standing on the bridge but he was still unsure whether or not he should cross it. _Fuck it_, he thought, _what more harm could it do?_

"No not really. We used to be fine but then he put me through initiation and I got to see how horrible everything really was. There was so much death, so much **needless** death," he said softly, shaking his head.

And that's when it hit Harry. People either love or hate those they have a lot in common with. There is no middle ground. He and Draco have a lot in common, a lot more than they, or anyone else, ever realized. They just chose to hate each other with all their beings from the first day they met.

Here, sitting beside him, was someone who could understand what he has been through all his life. Draco probably understood better than even Ron or Hermione. Harry did not know what was going to happen to their relationship — let's face it, even being enemies is a relationship — once they got out of the room, but he knew he could _not_ go back to hating Draco Malfoy.

Draco's stomach let out a loud rumble, so loud Harry felt it before he heard it. "Okay, we really need to get out of here."

"Well, I think there's only one way to do that," Harry said quietly.

Draco heaved a sigh and slowly stood up, rubbing his eyes. "I think you're right."

Harry followed suit, staring at the stranger in front of him. He took a few steps toward the blonde boy but couldn't bring himself to do anything else. Draco took it upon himself to do the rest. Eager to get it over with as fast as possible, he hurriedly tilted his head and pressed his lips to those of the raven-haired boy not six inches away from him.

Harry's lips were slightly chapped but Draco found he didn't mind. After the shock, Harry started kissing him back. Harry wasn't extremely experienced in the romance department but he had kissed enough people to know that Draco was not half bad. Actually, all things considered, he was pretty good.

He was trying to figure out what to do with his hands when he felt something prodding at his mouth. His brain suddenly kicked into full gear when he realized it was **Draco's** tongue and he broke the kiss, fleeing backward to the nearest wall.

Draco stared at him speechless, his lips slightly red. "Wha….what's wrong, Harry?" he finally asked.

Harry glanced over at the timer, which had reset itself. Draco hadn't appeared to notice it, but if he had, he wasn't upset by it. He seemed more concerned about how Harry was feeling.

"I just…you just…caught me by surprise, that's all," he muttered.

Draco nodded, understanding. "Well," he said, walking slowly toward Harry, "why don't we agree on what is acceptable and what isn't, and go from there?"

Harry thought about it and decided it sounded like the safest way to approach their situation. "Fine, hands remain in platonic places: nothing below the hips."

"What about kissing? Am I allowed to use my tongue? Can I kiss you anywhere _other_ than the lips?"

Harry felt a small tug in his stomach while Draco was talking. _Screw this_, he thought, and then he remembered the letter. _You must snog for ten minutes without stopping…_

"Draco, we can't stop…touching or the timer will restart."

Harry was almost positive Draco said something under his breath. "Okay, never mind then. We should get on with this so we can go eat," the blonde said.

Harry had barely murmured his agreement before Draco's lips were attached to his once again. This time, Harry was prepared for the prodding of Draco's tongue and let it in with a soft moan. As Draco was exploring his mouth, Harry did some exploring of his own, running his fingers up and down the other boy's back. Wanting to get a response out of the taller boy, Harry carefully pushed the robes off Draco's shoulders.

Draco started to move his head back, presumably to object, but Harry grabbed hold and kissed him rather roughly while he maneuvered them back toward the wall. He leaned his back against it and continued to run his fingers over Draco's chest. He smiled as Draco shivered deliciously. Just when Harry thought he had finally gotten the hang of it all, a small chime went off and they both jumped. Looking over at the door, they saw that it was open a few inches and torch-light was pouring in from the hallway.

Silently, they separated themselves and Draco retrieved his robes. With one swift glance, Harry left the room and headed for Gryffindor Tower.

---

Three days had passed since 'the incident'. Draco looked worse for the wear. To the rest of the students, he seemed like himself, albeit a little quiet. Harry knew otherwise. Draco's hair wasn't as perfect as he usually kept it and it appeared he was trying to cover up the dark circles that had started to form under his eyes. He wasn't walking around with his usual swagger, hurling insults and hexes every chance he got either. Instead, he kept mostly to himself.

Harry appeared unaffected. He chatted and walked around with Ron and Hermione — when they weren't off snogging — like nothing had happened. He ate dinner and joked with Ginny as much as he usually did. And wherever he was, he refused to do more than merely glance at the Slytherins.

One morning at breakfast, however, Harry found himself staring. He caught and held Draco's gaze and swore he saw a flash of longing and pain before Draco got up and fled the Great Hall. Moments later, Harry excused himself and quickly hurried after Draco.

He searched the whole castle, checking the most obvious places first. He was beginning to lose hope when he stumbled upon an open door on the fourth floor that he hadn't looked in yet. He pushed the door and walked into an abandoned classroom. Sitting on the floor, his back against the wall, was none other than Draco Malfoy. And that was when Harry realized it wasn't just any room he had run to; it was _the_ room.

He shut the door and started to walk toward Draco but he was stopped when Draco unexpectedly spoke.

"Whatever it is you want to say, don't. Just leave," he said sullenly.

"I came to find out what's wrong," Harry said, refusing to back down.

"Nothing's wrong," he said, getting up and turning his back to the raven-haired boy. "Now go away, _Potter_."

Harry, confused and hurt, wracked his brain as he tried to figure out what to do. "Was it something I did? Does it have to do with that day when we —"

"— Alright, listen. That was an unfortunate situation; we did what we had to do and you forgot about it. I did the same," he spat, turning to face him.

"I didn't forget," Harry said softly. "I just didn't know how to…..deal with it."

"Well let me help you. There's nothing to deal with. That day didn't _mean_ anything!" Draco said shrilly.

"Is that why you've looked so disheveled since it happened?" he asked, finally catching on. Draco said nothing so he continued. "It might not have meant anything to you, but it meant something to me. I've spent the last three days thinking about it."

"Then why didn't you say something? Or even look at me?" Draco asked, pain clearly etched in his expression.

"I couldn't. I knew if I did, I wouldn't be able to stay away from you," Harry said, blushing and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Why would you have to stay away from me?"

"I thought that's what you wanted."

"No, that's not what I want. That's the _last_ thing I want," Draco said, pulling Harry into his arms. He felt Harry release a sigh of relief and hug him back.

Harry pulled back enough to give Draco a soft kiss.

"So," Draco said, hands still firmly around Harry's waist, "any chance for a repeat performance?"

Harry smiled. "Maybe more than one," he said before kissing him again. Draco's mouth was warm and welcoming. Harry begged entrance into Draco's mouth with his tongue, eagerly teasing him.

Draco let him have his way for a while so he could covertly guide them toward the nearby desk. Harry must have felt the desk against his legs because he slid onto it without ceasing his work. Having been denied any _real_ exploration last time, Draco moved his mouth along Harry's jaw, enjoying the noises he managed to elicit from him. He gently pushed Harry's robes off before returning to his mouth, content to do more exploring with his hands.

Harry, who was quick to catch on, pushed Draco's robes to the floor and, pulling his shirt aside, kissed his collarbone. Draco moaned happily. Harry moved up his pale neck, leaving feather-soft kisses the whole way. Draco lightly ran his fingers up and down Harry's thighs. Harry had just kissed that spot on Draco's left where his jaw meets his neck when he felt Draco's hand brush rather close to the bulge in his pants. He gently moved Draco's hands away and held them in his own, his forehead resting against the other boy's.

"Harry, what's —"

"— Nothing's wrong. It's just a bit too fast, that's all," he said, before taking a deep, steadying breath. "This is new for me and I don't want to rush anything. It's too important to me."

Draco let out a sigh. "Okay. Take your time; take as much time as you need. I can wait."

A small smile greeted that statement. "Would it be too much to ask to keep this between us for now?"

"Not at all. I think that would be best, for now," Draco agreed as he fetched their robes from the floor. He handed one set to Harry and they both got dressed. Before they left the room, however, Harry pulled Draco in for one more embrace. In the midst of their kiss, Harry snaked his hand around and grabbed Draco's arse. The blonde pulled back in shock, a quizzical look on his face.

"Thank you. And I promise, we _will_ move forward," he added with a mischievous smile.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I fully intended on making this a one-shot. But, after I left the decision up to everyone on FAP, I've decided to continue it. I'm working on the next chapter but it's going rather slowly. Draco and Harry keep running off to snog! ;p I promise it'll be up soon. Oh yeah, it's rated M for future chapters...hehehe... 


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I am not, and never will be, J.K. Rowling. These delicious characters are not mine and I am not making any money off them. But let's face it, I'm a theater major; I'm not going to be making money anyway.

P.S. Oh yeah, this is slash. Just so you know.

**Author's Note:** I got stuck on this chapter for a while. But thankfully, honestlyronald helped me out with part of it. glomps Thanks, as well, to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. Sorry this one took so long. I promise I'll keep updating but it's going to be sporadic at best. Hope you enjoy! throws candies to everyone

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Chapter Two

Over the next two weeks, Harry and Draco continued to meet in 'their' room. They would agree on a day and time by owl, not wanting to risk anything by trying to talk in person. They had redecorated the room a bit, making it more welcoming and cozy. Sometimes they could only manage a few minutes. Other times, they spent hours lounging on the couch, just talking.

Potions quickly became Harry's favorite class, if only because he got to work with Draco. They had been careful to keep up the charade of hatred and Snape, predictably, paired them for every assignment. Harry had to fight a dazzling grin as he moved his supplies to the Slytherin's table for every lesson.

Draco would have been just as thrilled with this arrangement if it hadn't been for Harry's hitherto undiscovered mischievous side. The Boy-Who-Lived was the only person who managed to get beneath his defenses — not that he would **ever** admit it. Besides, after one memorable Potions class, it was painfully obvious that Harry knew what he was doing.

A week ago, Snape had set the class the task of brewing a Hiccupping Solution. It seemed the Weasley twins had released their newest invention: a drink that caused the unfortunate victim to hiccup uncontrollably. Apparently the twins hadn't thought hiccups were funny enough and rigged it so that the consumer would break out into clips of Wizard Oldies every time. And, Harry had to admit, it was rather amusing to see Lavender Brown trying to gossip with Parvati _and_ battle singing hiccups.

When Snape explained the situation, Hermione predictably raised her hand. "Don't you think Fred and George would've taken a Hiccupping Solution into consideration when they were making the drink?"

Snape merely growled and took twenty points from Gryffindor.

Harry moved to Draco's table while the blonde went and got the necessary ingredients. Rolling up the sleeves of his robe, Harry set to work chopping up the shrivel fig. He was close enough that every time his arm moved to make another slice, it would brush against Draco's.

Draco maintained his calm the first few times. But when Harry turned and reached across him to add the shrivel fig slices to their cauldron, he lightly ran his fingers along the inside of Draco's elbow, his actions hidden between their bodies. He inhaled sharply and just barely stopped a flush from suffusing his cheeks. Looking to his right, he saw Harry smirking at him with _his_ smirk.

Dancing just out of reach, Harry grabbed the flask of strangle ivy sap. Because he was too busy watching Draco to pay attention, he poured the entire flask a little to the left of his measuring cup. Snape was in front of their bench before either of them could begin to rectify the mistake.

"I expected no better of you, Potter. Thirty points from Gryffindor. And because I don't have time to waste collecting more potion ingredients, you will spend the rest of the lesson finding enough sap to replace what you destroyed," he said silkily.

A small smile graced Draco's lips but Snape caught him before he could hide it. "However, I did expect better of _you_, Draco. You will accompany Potter on his search for the ingredient. And you will _both_ be receiving a zero on the assignment."

Draco gaped in astonishment before grudgingly following Harry out of the dungeon. Neither of them spoke as they walked out the great front doors and toward the greenhouses. They hadn't gone more than a few steps when Harry grabbed Draco's wrist and pulled him into a small alcove just to the side of the doors.

He immediately began placing open-mouthed kisses along Draco's neck. He felt his boyfriend's breathing quicken and slowly made his way to capture the blonde's mouth. But Draco turned his head away so Harry's kiss landed on his cheek.

Confusion swirled in Harry's eyes. "Draco, what's wrong?" he asked, his lips ghosting over his cheek.

"What's wrong?! Thanks to you, I just received my first zero in Potions. Unlike you, I find the subject intriguing and am actually trying to do well in it. But no, you had to go and get us in trouble just so we could have a little time to snog!" he shouted as he tried to push Harry away.

Harry gave in and put a foot or two of space between them. "I'm sorry," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I guess I didn't realize how much it meant to you. I kind of just assumed that you enjoyed seeing me get in trouble — you always used to, in any case — and would……..laugh or something."

"I didn't —" Draco started before he clicked his mouth shut and took a deep breath. "It doesn't matter now. What's done is done. Let's just get the sap."

Draco resumed their trek to the greenhouses, mask of indifference firmly in place; Harry felt the loss of warmth in those grey eyes like a physical ache — like he would never be warm again. And that scared him almost as much as how easy it had been for him to hurt Draco.

Jumping back to reality, he ran after the boy. But before he had his breathing under control enough to talk, Draco had walked into Greenhouse Three and was asking Professor Sprout where they could find some strangle ivy.

"Oh, I wish I could be more help. You see, I had to remove them because they were killing most of my other plants. The only place you'll find any now is in and around the Forbidden Forest," she replied.

"Great," said Draco sarcastically as he walked out.

They walked in silence passed Hagrid's cabin, stopping at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. "You look over here and I'll look over there. We'll only go into the forest if we don't find any," he directed before walking off.

"Wait," Harry called out. Draco's step didn't falter. "Draco, please, could you wait a second?"

Draco turned. "I just want to get this done."

Harry didn't know what to do, what to say. The only significant other he had fought with had been Cho and he had had no wish to make that right. He had to wonder how badly he had messed up this time and what he would have to do to make it better.

-

Harry was stooped by a tree, trying to extract more sap from the few ivy plants he had found, when Draco spoke. "I don't think Snape's going to notice if we're short a couple drops. Let's head back."

Harry stood to face Draco. "Wait, can we talk for a moment? Please?"

"I'd rather we just forget about it. It doesn't matter," he said with a small shrug.

"But it _does_ matter! Shit, we haven't been going out more than a week and we're already fighting. I _want_ to talk about this," Harry said, feeling his anger starting to rise.

"Okay then, talk," he said indifferently, folding his arms across his chest.

The raven-haired boy racked his brain. He didn't know where to begin; he didn't know what to say to make everything okay again.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I know I've already said that but I need you to know that I mean it. I didn't mean to get you in trouble or to make you mad at me or to…..hurt you. I just thought……….I don't know what I thought. It was stupid."

"Yes, it was."

Harry looked up sharply, eyes full of regret. He tried to see passed Draco's defenses but he was as cold and distant as ever. He looked back down at their shoes, trying to fight off the constricted feeling in his throat.

"I'll understand if you don't want to…" he mumbled before the lump that had formed in place of his Adam's apple prevented him from saying any more.

"What?" No one moved. "Harry." Still nothing.

"Harry, look at me." When Harry continued to ignore him, Draco crooked his finger under the boy's chin and tenderly tilted it up so he was looking at him.

Harry reluctantly met Draco's gaze and felt his eyes sting. Affection was shining in those grey eyes like sunshine behind soft storm clouds. He wanted to blink to clear his eyes but he was afraid to see that warmth disappear once again.

"What are you afraid of?" Draco whispered gently.

"I don't want to drive you away," Harry said in a small voice.

"You're not getting rid of me that easy, Potter," he said with a laugh, running his thumb across his boyfriend's cheek. He leaned in and kissed him briefly. "That's not to say I've forgotten. It's just that we spent six years hating each other. We don't know each other that well; it's understandable that we'd make a mistake sooner or later. But nothing says we can't make it better."

He pulled Harry into a hug, murmuring soothing words of comfort. He felt distinctly awkward but knew it would calm the green-eyed boy. When Harry started pulling out of the embrace, he let him.

"I really am —"

"— sorry, I know. Now would you stop saying it?" Draco said before giving Harry a chaste kiss. "Everything is okay. Now let's see if Snape has deemed this sufficient torture…"

---

Potions class was the only potential sticky point. In the other classes and the hallways, everything appeared normal. Harry and Draco continued to glare at each other and shoot scathing remarks back and forth. But if anyone looked closer, they would've noticed that the curses and hexes were gone; the hatred had been replaced with another kind of tension.

It didn't help that the scathing remarks were heavily laced with innuendos.

Hermione and Ginny noticed the change in Harry; their counterparts, Blaise and Pansy, easily picked up on the differences in Draco. Hermione had taken to covertly watching Harry whenever he had to interact with anyone outside of Gryffindor house. She didn't know what was going on but she was determined to figure it out sooner or later. And knowing her, it would be _sooner_ rather than later.

The subtle shift between two former arch enemies, while not consciously noticed by many, was felt by all. The entire castle seemed more relaxed. Students would joke with their friends, momentarily forgetting about the war raging outside the walls. Teachers, except for Snape, would _occasionally_ give their classes a night off. A Hogsmeade trip was planned for the following day and Harry was excited about it for the first time in a while. He went to sleep feeling genuinely happy.

---

Harry, Ron and Hermione spent a wonderful day in Hogsmeade. They bought candy from Honeydukes, visited the Shrieking Shack in honor of Sirius and stopped by the Post Office. Harry wished to place an order with Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

After all their business was taken care of, they had butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. They were having seconds when Ron gave Harry a look. Harry, eager to meet up with Draco back at Hogwarts, took the cue flawlessly. His mate wanted some time alone with his girl.

"Well, I promised Ginny I would spend some time with her today," he said, standing. "I'll see you later in the common room."

Hermione tucked this bit of information away. She knew Ginny was spending the entire day with Dean at Madam Puddifoot's. Harry was definitely up to something.

-

After checking to make sure no one was watching him, he turned up the path that led back to school. Once he passed through the great front doors, he sprinted up to the fourth floor. He scooted into the room and closed the door. Draco must have got there mere moments before since he had just thrown his cloak over one of the chairs. Harry's cloak soon joined the pile.

"How was your day?" Draco asked, kissing Harry's forehead.

"Good, fun. But I'm glad I'm here now. Besides, I think Ron and Hermione are happy to be rid of me for a little while," he said, smiling wickedly.

"That's nice, Harry, but I don't really need that image burned into my brain forever. I don't want to talk about them right now. I don't want to _talk_ at all," Draco whispered in his ear, making Harry's breathing hitch. Draco proceeded to kiss his way to Harry's mouth. Harry moaned and their tongues battled for dominance. But Harry knew from experience that he couldn't win; Draco would not let up until he surrendered.

Harry had asked him once why he did that. Draco gazed at him with a thoughtful expression. After a moment, he answered quite seriously, "I want you to know I can beat you at something."

For all the patience Draco lacked in most situations, he more than made up for it when he was with Harry.

Harry continued to battle and, in an effort to distract Draco, slowly peeled off Draco's robes. Beneath, he was wearing loose-fitting jeans and a long-sleeved, black shirt. Harry snaked his hands under Draco's shirt, drawing him closer, and smiled at the shiver that ran through the other boy.

Refusing to be outdone, Draco quickly de-robed Harry and guided him over to the couch. He pushed Harry down and followed, lying on top of him. It never ceased to amaze him how well they fit together as their bodies lined up.

He bit back a low moan as Harry wriggled under him, apparently intent on testing Draco's patience as much as he could. Draco, however, could hold out longer.

He released some of the weight he had been holding up, pushing Harry deeper into the couch cushions. Harry knew he had lost when he felt Draco on top of him. He pulled his mouth away and gasped, enjoying the friction his wriggling created.

Draco smirked triumphantly down at him. The effect was ruined, however, by his rapid, slightly ragged breathing and flushed cheeks. Harry ran his fingers through his blonde hair and gently pulled Draco back down; Harry's kisses were softer and sweeter than any other Draco had ever experienced. They were altogether intoxicating and he felt a bit of his resolve slipping away.

Harry had stayed true to his word. They had progressed, albeit slower than Draco was used to. And Draco struggled not push him further than he was willing to go. But damn it, they hadn't moved passed taking their _robes_ off!

Deciding a break was in order, he pulled out of the kiss. He stared into emerald eyes hungrily.

"Wanna get some dinner?" he asked softly.

Disappointment flooded those beautiful eyes and Draco felt a pang of guilt.

"We can nick something from the kitchen and come right back up here. I told you I was yours 'til curfew and I meant it. I just don't want to go to sleep on an empty stomach," he said, smiling ruefully.

-

Hermione and Ron spent two hours that afternoon locked in the Room of Requirement. It had been Ron's idea and he always thought he was in control. The truth was that Hermione just _let_ him think that. She had decided long ago that she would avoid a lot of arguments that way.

As Ron babbled away about what he was going to have for dinner that evening, she carefully went over Harry's actions of the previous few weeks. He was hardly ever in the common room now; he claimed he was spending his time in the library but Hermione highly doubted that. He received notes from a variety of school owls. During meals, he spent a fair amount of time staring toward the Ravenclaw table, although she couldn't fathom why.

Now he was using Ginny as a cover for his actions. What was it he was hiding from them? And more importantly, _why?_

Realizing they had reached the Gryffindor table while she had been absorbed in thought, she quickly scanned its length for her dark-haired friend. But he was nowhere to be found. Ginny was there, chatting animatedly with Dean and Seamus so surely he was done whatever it was he had been doing.

Ron didn't notice a thing. He wasn't even aware that Hermione was no longer listening to him until he tried to offer her the bowl of mashed potatoes.

"What's up with you?"

"Huh?" Hermione asked. She automatically began spooning food onto her plate as she reigned in her thoughts. "Do you know where Harry is?"

"He said he was hanging out with Ginny," Ron replied before shoving a heaping forkful of chicken into his mouth.

"Yeah, but Ginny's over there."

"Well…maybe he's out flying or something," he said, paying more attention to his food.

-

Hermione loved being a prefect. It made her privy to information and events she wouldn't necessarily hear about otherwise. It was her way of hands-on researching.

She was on the fourth floor when she saw Cho Chang leaving one of their classrooms — five minutes before curfew. The Ravenclaw was looking up and down the hall, apparently intent on not getting caught. Hermione walked up to her and insisted on escorting her back to her dorm.

-

Draco's rook had just finished clobbering Harry's bishop.

"Checkmate."

"I told you I'm no good at this," Harry whined good-naturedly. "But I do have other talents…"

"I'm well aware of that," Draco said, leaning in for a kiss.

Harry trailed his fingers through Draco's hair and pulled the boy closer. Draco tried to regain control by worming his hands under Harry's shirt. He gave Harry's ribs a gentle squeeze before putting enough space between them for him to speak.

"It's past curfew." He kissed Harry. "We should get going." He kissed him again.

Harry sighed against Draco's lips. "I guess you're right."

Harry pulled Draco into a hug, wrapping his arms around his waist.

"I'll see you later."

-

"Harry?"

Harry inwardly cursed himself once more for forgetting his invisibility cloak. Hermione was walking toward him from the other end of the hall. "Hey, what's up?"

"It's after curfew. What are you still doing out?"

"I was in the library," he said, continuing up to the seventh floor.

"Harry, I checked the library and no one was there."

"Hermione, I had something to do. I'm not ready to tell you or Ron, but when I am ready, I'll let you know. Now can we just drop it?"

"But…"

"No buts. I am not going to tell you now," Harry said before climbing through the portrait hole. He waved to those still awake in the common room and went to his dorm.

Hermione watched Harry retire to his room. She knew something was up but just could not figure out what. She plopped down on the couch next to Ron, who had clearly returned from prefect rounds a lot earlier.

_If only I knew where Harry had been coming from…_ she thought, too curious to give up.

Suddenly, she sat upright, startling Ron out of his stupor.

_What if Harry had been meeting someone?_

"Ron, did you catch anyone out after curfew tonight?" she asked hurriedly.

"Nope, no one. I did run into Mrs. Norris though; she was giving me some pretty odd looks," he rambled.

Hermione gasped.

_Cho! Harry could've been meeting Cho! But things ended badly for them and I didn't think he wanted to fix that._

'But that's the only explanation there is,' a very logical voice in her head told her.

Hermione looked over at Ron, who still wore a puzzled expression from her gasp. She leaned in and kissed him briefly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I just realized I forgot to read something for Ancient Runes," she said before she went up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

_I'll have to get a lot of proof before I can confront Harry about this. There's no reason for him to hide something like that from _us.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I figured this would be the place to mention this. First off, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I was hoping Draco and Harry would snog some more but they seemed to have a mind of their own! Second, this is set during Harry's sixth year but it ignores the events of HBP and DH. I might mix in stuff from HBP but not much. The most important thing is Dumbledore is alive and Draco didn't try to kill him. Thanks for taking the time to read this and, just so you know, I substitute W.W.W. candies for reviews! wink wink 


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